Fire and Ice
by Clorinda
Summary: One was fire the other was ice. Once, the ice froze the fire. But the fire melted the ice. SakaixMiki. One shot.


**Fire and Ice **

**By **Clorinda

**Rated**: PG

**Category**: General/Romance

**Summary**: One was fire; the other was ice. Once, the ice froze the fire. But the fire melted the ice. (SakaixMiki) One-shot.

* * *

Miki hated Sakai _Jefferson_ Koji.

Surprise? A girl doesn't go weak-kneed at the sight of everyone's favourite goalkeeper? Do you want to gasp and faint and cry sacrilege?

It was Natsumi who was head-over-heels in love with him, and when Miki told her to shut up, she nastily shot back how Miki was too preoccupied with Kyosuke to notice other boys.

That wasn't true either. She liked Kyosuke, but her feelings had dimmed considerably, and she _hated_ Sakai with hell's fury of scorn.

She hated him even more, as he sat opposite her, giving her useful tips to better the standards of the women's soccer team, which she was still captaining.

"And that ... err, Miki? Are you even listening to a word I'm saying? You look dazed."

Her head snapped up.

His electric blue eyes gazed at her with a strange sort of intensity. "It's all right if you want me to go," he said softly. She didn't move as he quietly stood up and left.

* * *

A month ago. That's when she properly got to know him. The café two blocks down from the school had been crammed full, and disappointed, she'd started to leave.

She hadn't expected _Sakai_ to wave at her from the booth he was lounging in, and invite her to _join_ him. His friend nodded curtly, and said goodbye.

To Miki's surprise, he was quite nice. Pleasing and charming, and a block of eye-candy wrapped in colourful paper, true, but he was _nice_. That changed everything about what she'd thought of him.

"You have a soccer game this weekend, don't you?" he asked her, as they walked back under the dusty yellow lamplight on the street.

She'd nodded tentatively, unsure if his warmth would ebb away now that they approached the school, the bevy of girls who eagerly awaited him.

"Can I come?"

It was too much for her to hope for. Three quarters through her match, he'd be saving goals for his school on another pitch. Sakai was wonderful, but he probably wouldn't last. Not with her.

* * *

They won. The women's soccer team had _won_. Mad euphoria seized them all; for once, they were looking at dejected faces that were not their own. Miki felt like the world was laughing in sheer joy with them then, and without barely thinking, she flung her arms tightly around Sakai.

She had him to share her happiness with, for _his_ team had lost their game.

* * *

At school. They didn't see much of one another. But when they met the next time, incidentally at the same café, no more was there an awkward silence. They shared laughs and arguments like old friends. They even had dinner together.

One could say, as a casual observer, that things started picking up from there. They realised that they could act like two very normal teenagers in one another's company, without a blush or a patented charm.

She visited the boys' locker room more, and he'd drop by her dormitory on trivial errands, much to the elated squeals of the girls.

* * *

Then, it was Saturday. The weeks had all but flown past them. Miki even thought she could allow herself to think she liked Sakai.

It was quiet surprising still to see him at their soccer practice. He was leaning over his folded arms on the bleachers in a pair of jeans, the breeze rustling his hair as he was watching ... Just watching...

"Sakai!"

Natsumi waved at him, beaming brightly as she jogged past. He gave her a smile, watching her and the girls laughing, chattering, eager for their captain to show up. Slowly, he wheeled around.

"Hey," he greeted warmly, cocking his head.

"Hi."

Miki didn't know what she should _say_. _Thanks for everything, you were so much fun and so amazing, and by the way, did you know Kyosuke's coming back next week_? She should just head down, and play.

She couldn't see it, but she was biting her lip, her dark green eyes looking at the ground. There was a tiny splatter of blood. Very, rich, bright red.

He wanted to reach out, and wipe that blood away, but for the first time, something colder than ice was slowly freezing him from inside.

To avert his eyes, he looked at her jersey, the material folding around her stomach and the waist of her shorts. Bright orange, like the flames that burned around her.

He couldn't stop it.

She was like the fresh cream he'd been sampling in the kitchen, tasting sweet, soft and lovely against his lips, the taste of molten chocolate that swirled in his mouth.

She looked dazed, half-stunned, half-disappointed when she drew away, looking the other way. The expression in her gemstone-smooth eyes made him want to kick himself.

"Sorry," he muttered. She'd never been interested in him, it was always Kyosuke she fancied. "You should go, your friends are waiting."

She did turn around and she went, her back held so stiffly that he _did_ kick himself. Which woman wants to be apologised to for a kiss they returned?

* * *

When she'd fallen for him, Miki never thought she'd pine for, date, and kiss him to find out Sakai didn't really love her after all...

Maybe that was why she'd have rather been anywhere else but at this table with the weight of a rock holding her down inside as Sakai walked away.

But she just felt empty inside, hollow.

**—- End -—**


End file.
